'Tubercle bacillus' definitions:
Definition of 'tubercle bacillus'
From: WordNet
noun
Cause of tuberculosis [syn: tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis]
Definition of 'Tubercle bacillus'
From: GCIDE
- Tubercle \Tu"ber*cle\, n. [L. tuberculum, dim. of tuber: cf. F. tubercule, OF. also tubercle. See Tuber.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. A small knoblike prominence or excrescence, whether natural or morbid; as, a tubercle on a plant; a tubercle on a bone; the tubercles appearing on the body in leprosy. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Med.) A small mass or aggregation of morbid matter; especially, the deposit which accompanies scrofula or phthisis. This is composed of a hard, grayish, or yellowish, translucent or opaque matter, which gradually softens, and excites suppuration in its vicinity. It is most frequently found in the lungs, causing consumption. [1913 Webster]
- Tubercle bacillus (Med.), a minute vegetable organism (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, formerly {Bacillus tuberculosis}, and also called Koch's bacillus) discovered by Koch, a German physician, in the sputum of consumptive patients and in tuberculous tissue. It is the causative agent of tuberculosis. [1913 Webster +PJC]